We’re very excited to announce that plans for the Student Farm at the University Park campus were approved by Penn State! We can’t wait to get to work on the Farm, but we still need to acquire both supplies and funding to get it off the ground. Once we do that, the Farm will be an invaluable resource for engaged scholarship, as well as for fresh, local produce.
You can read our press release about the approval below. You can also check out stories about it on The Daily Collegian, Onward State, and Centre County Report.
Press Release — January 21, 2016:
Penn State Approves Student-Centered Farm
A student-centered farm is coming to the University Park campus this semester.
The Penn State administration approved plans to establish the student-centered farm on a one-acre plot of land located near Beaver Stadium. The decision by the administration comes as the result of a years-long campaign that was spearheaded by Penn State’s Student Farm Club.
Work is set to begin on the farm this semester, Spring 2016, and the first crop yield will be harvested this summer, Summer 2016.
In line with Pres. Barron’s widely reported goal of creating opportunities for “engaged scholarship,” the farm will be used as a resource in interdisciplinary experiential education.
“The farm will allow students from a diverse range of majors to get real-world experience,” Student Farm Club President Keirstan Kure said. “From agriculture students studying sustainable food systems, to business students who could help with marketing or finance, the farm’s operation will be incredibly interdisciplinary.”
The farm will be operated by volunteers from the Student Farm Club and other student organizations, hired interns and students in various courses related to the farm, all of which will be overseen by a full-time staff.
Crops yields from the farm will be sold directly to students, faculty and staff, as well as to campus dining halls.
The approval for the farm allows Penn State — historically an agricultural institution — to join the likes of a host of other Big Ten schools that have already established similar student-centered farms.
Land for the farm has been approved on a three-year basis, at which time the operation will be expanded at a new, yet to-be-determined location.